Ultimate Championship: Podium eludes Jamaicans on final day

Jamaicans failed to pick up any podium finishes on yesterday’s final day at the World Ultimate Championships in Budapast, Hungary.

Among Jamaica’s best final-day performances were fifth-place finishes by Sanique Walker in the women’s 400m hurdles, Ashanti Moore in the women’s 200 metres, Romaine Beckford in the men’s high jump, and Ackelia Smith in the women’s triple jump.

Bryan Levell was sixth in the men’s 200m, and the mixed 4x400m relay team also placed sixth. Rushell Clayton was eighth in the women’s 400m hurdles.

Personal best

Walker produced a personal best 53.61 seconds for fifth in the 400m hurdles final, improving on the 53.77 she ran in her semi-final. She had entered the competition as the Commonwealth Games champion and showed again that she belongs among the world’s leading quarter-milers over the barriers.

Two-time World Championship bronze medallist Clayton finished eighth in 54.32.

The United States’ (US) Jasmine Jones won in a season best 52.45 ahead of Emma Zapletalova of Slovakia, in 52.68, with Anna Cockrell of the United States third in 53.09.

Moore, who had earlier clocked a personal best 22.30 for second in her semi-final, clocked 22.34 in the final.

World champion Melissa Jefferson Wooden of the US closed out the sprint double, winning in a personal best and world-leading 21.47, in a negative wind of 0.6 metres per second.

Olympic champion Gabby Thomas, 21.77, was second, while Kayla Whyte, 21.93, was third to close out a United States sweep.

Fourth fastest

Jefferson Wooden’s time was the fourth fastest ever by a female and was the fastest ever recorded into a headwind.

Jamaica’s Lavanya Williams failed to make the final, finishing seventh in her semi-finals in 23.10.

In the men’s 200m final, World Championship bronze medallist Bryan Levell was sixth in 20.07.

Kenneth Bednarek of the US closed out a sprint double, winning in a world-leading 19.52. World champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana finished second in a season-best 19.76, with Courtney Lindsay of the US third in a season-best 19.79.

Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor was sixth in his semi-final and failed to advance.

Mixed relay

Jamaica’s quartet of Zadrion Barnes, Shanakaye Anderson, Assanie Wilson and Stacy-Ann Williams finished sixth in the mixed 4x400m relay in 3:11.46.

The US won the event in 3:08.32, ahead of Great Britain, second in a season-best 3:09.40, and the Netherlands, third in a season-best 3:09.57.

Ackelia Smith was fifth in the triple jump with 14.23 metres, while Beckford was also fifth in the high jump after clearing 2.26 metres.

Saly Sarr of Algeria won the women’s triple jump with 15.06m, while Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy won the men’s high jump after clearing 2.37m, a world-leading mark.

Notable performances

Despite not winning any Ultimate Trophy over the three days, Jamaica had several notable performances.

Oblique Seville was second in the men’s 100m in 9.90 seconds, just behind Bednarek’s season-best 9.85.